I tend to be a very grateful person. The Lord has blessed me with a heart full of gratitude, which I utilize often. Small things make me happy and help me to stay pretty content.
I was always taught to start my prayers with gratitude, and I’ve done that for as long as I can remember. While this is beautiful, I do find a slight problem with that and it’s because I can always find something to be grateful for.
When I pray, I typically start with “Lord, thank you for this beautiful day and my friends and my family and my Mitah and Belly and Siah and BedyBoy (nicknames for my brothers) who I love and my car and my dog and these shoes which are really cute and colors I literally love colors and food I love food and hands and things to do and my nails and nail clippers + file so I can make them pretty and my charger which was so stinking expensive but it works really well and charges super fast and free things because I don’t like spending money and money and my job and Your Goodness and the Holy Spirit and Your death on the cross and how You went through the most traumatic thing for me and how You love me and…” you get the picture.
Anyway, I had this blog idea and was like, “Yes, that’s it. I’m brilliant.” However, this girl ain’t that brilliant because I came up with MANY things I love and had to tone it down, and that was hard…
Yeah…
ANYWHO, here are the things I love and how they’ve impacted me on my trip so far.
- KIDS
I am not a kid person. As a general rule, I don’t like kids. BUT! Pouring into children is one of the most valuable and fulfilling things I do in life. I started serving with toddlers at my church when I was 12 and haven’t ever stopped. I have taught and subbed kids’ dance classes for years and easily connect with kids in all areas. A lot of my friends have younger siblings with whom I get along and who love me. I have younger cousins, two of whom are significantly younger than me. I babysit and tutor, just all the typical young girl things.
And even though I don’t really like kids, I love it. There is something so special about making an impact and loving on children. It fills my cup and is something that brings worth and value to my life.
Since arriving in Albania, I’ve had a lot of opportunity to live this out. I’ve attended a few church services with kids and played at the park. Our first full day in Albania started at church, where I met and connected with some super special kids. In particular there is one girl and four siblings who I love hanging out with. We colored, talked, tossed a ball around, and made dinner for puppets. It was lovely.
Yesterday, there was a little girl at a church service with whom I threw a ball for quite a while. She was adorable and knew no English, which almost made our friendship sweeter. It took a little effort to get her to play with me, but once she did, we had fun and became buddies for the morning.
Today in church, I reconnected with the same kids from last week and met a few more. We talked and colored and had a sweet time of connection. Kids are so loving, and I left with my heart full. I received many hugs and drawings, and my new best friend, Ema, played with my hair.
One day, we went to the park and started playing volleyball. A few people joined us, and one of them was an 11-year-old Christian. He reminded me so much of my youngest brother, and it was pretty touching to me. He told me about his family and his school, how he goes to a Musical School and is considered one of the best students. He shared the pressure he feels from school and how he’s scared of his teacher and that he enjoys sports but is scared to get started.
Talking with him was precious as it reminded me so much of my younger brother and hearing his story was very encouraging.
As neither of us plays sports, we tossed a volleyball back and forth for a while.
- People
I LOVE people. Like, so much. Like, love love love people. I love talking, dancing, playing games, sitting in silence, reading, anything and everything with people.
I am such a social person–I could be with people from the second I wake up to the moment I get in bed and be so filled with joy. I receive so much from being people and am the purest definition of an extrovert.
At training camp, I stayed on a campsite with 50 other people. On the Camino, I stayed in a hostel with who knows how many people every night. In Vitoria-Gastiez, I talked with people every day at various shops and churches, and now, in Albania, I have connected with even more people.
We’re staying in an apartment-ish type complex with a bunch of college girls, and there are two who I converse with in the mornings. I go to the grocery store daily, and the same lady is always working. She knows enough English to exchange greetings, and I always wave at her. I’ve gone into a makeup store twice and talked with the girl who works there. She’s having a hard time understanding our trip and what I’m doing in her city lol. There are so many opportunities for me to be around people.
Then, naturally, there are the 12 people on my squad who I see all day and every day. I kinda like them too 😉
But it has been sweet to be around people so often.
- Food
This one speaks for itself.
Kind of. I love cooking and baking things, and doing things in general ESPECIALLY if the outcome of my labor is good.
Arranging my plate and meals with different colors is so sweet, and, of course, eating them.
Overall, meals are an excellent source of community and enjoyment. I believe God created our bodies to enjoy nourishment, and I sure do. It’s been fun to experience the cuisine from all the places I’ve feasted (Georgia, Denmark, Spain, Greece, Albania.
- Dogs
One of the things I’m most known for (among the people who care about me) is my love of dogs. When I’m out and about my sweet friends frequently point out dogs to me. People send me posts about dogs on social media, and I even get sent pictures captioned, “Saw this dog and thought of you. <3”
Dogs are so happy and loving, and they make my heart happy. I love petting, playing with, loving on, and being loved by dogs. I have two dogs at home, and I love them more than…most things really.
Spain and Albania both have a huge dog culture. In Spain, there are domesticated dogs everywhere. People will just let their dogs wander around the town and hang out. It’s wild and so sweet. The dogs in Spain are mostly chill and friendly. I rarely saw a dog who needed to be on a leash.
It was super sweet and very precious.
Albania also has a massive dog culture, but it’s a bit different. There are stray dogs everywhere here. And even the dogs who have owners look like strays.
On the first day in our apartment, I told the Lord, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle all the stray dogs.” Seeing these neglected animals covered in grime and infections hurt my heart.
It’s been hard to see all the dogs everywhere, knowing I can’t help or even touch + love on them, but it’s okay.
It’s made me very grateful for the affluence of life in the US. We have many shelters and people who care about stray animals, and many foster and financially support these organizations.
What a privilege it is to live in a world where I can identify an issue and have the means to address it.
While the city we’re staying in isn’t full of poverty, it’s a significant step down from where I’m from. People aren’t suffering, but their prosperity looks very different.
This experience has served as an excellent reminder of the advantages I have in my life. I can care about the problem of stray dogs back home because I don’t have to worry about survival. I have stable jobs, no responsibilities, and no people relying on me. I have the money and the resources to make a difference in areas that require it.
I love the gifts that God has given me and that I can use them to make a difference in the world.
Thanks for reading my ramble!!
Now…
Venmo: @charislenz
